A Joker's Hand
by Mr Emerid
Summary: Ahhh my only Monster Rancher Fanfics......
1. Default Chapter Title

A JOKERS HAND.  
  
  
Somewhere, on a ranch in a secluded part of a grassy mountain, a boy the age of sixteen with striking White hair with a long grown tail, loosely worn orange vest, blue pants with dirt stains and a shirt the same, was digging furiously. He wiped the sweat off his face and stopped a moment, wondering why he was doing this, then he remembered that he had woken up this morning and while eating breakfast with his best Monster, when he had a feeling, a flash of premonitions, of him digging in this exact spot on his ranch. His Jell, named Lord Jell, alway's laughed when he Did this, following one of his premonitions, But then he would point that those Premonitions were what led him to HIS mystery Disc in the first place and then Lord Jell would just sigh and hand him a Shovel. He looked towards his stable, where Lord Jell's ORIGINAL Home had been a decade ago, it had remained bare for so long, he wanted to train a new Monster. He then looked towards his house and Smiled, Seeing a Blue humanoid with a jell like body, moving along with it's Jell base, it had no legs you see, and the Red orb in the Middle of it's body was shaking as it Laughed.  
"You're still at it?" It asked, looking at the hole he was in.  
"Of Course L.J, I might find something Cool." the Kid laughed, going back to digging.  
"Vanciusth Orlorf Persius.....Give it up. You KNOW when you get these Flashes or whatever you call them, HALF the time they're a hoax!" Lord Jell laughed, it's body shaking while it shook it's head.  
"I told you a million times, call me Vance or Percy, NOT my full name." The Kid asked, sweating with exertion.  
"Fine, Percy. C'mon, give it up. Let's just go into town like we planned and grab some food."  
"Fine, AFTER I'm done digging." Lord Jell groaned and looked at Percy, then picked his hands up and concentrated, willing them to flatten and form into scoops.  
"Might as well help you. The Sooner we head into town, the sooner I get to eat something Besides EGGS."  
"I thought you liked eggs." Percy said, grinning crookedly.   
"Well....yes, but not for EVERY meal dammit!" Lord Jell laughed, scooping out dirt and throwing it behind him. With Lord Jell's help, it took an hour until they took a break to rest.  
"Just to ask, but what are you after?" Jell asked, folding it's arms across' its jell chest. Percy leaned on the Shovel, grinning.  
"I'm...well....I'm hoping for a Mystery Disc."  
"Oh COME ON. The Chances of you actually FINDING a Mystery disc is like one in one MILLION. Sure you found MINE, but that was when you were SIX, and you were digging in a sand pile on a hunch from your.....FLASHES."  
"And my Father took me with him to the Shrine, and Gave a Little baby Jell to me, a gift for being so helpful, and said for me to name the Little pile of goo in my arms. I named it Lord Jell, L.J for short, and immediately you took one of you're itty bitty arms and SLAPPED the crap out of me." Percy laughed. Lord Jell grinned broadly, remembering the Memory.  
"But you have to admit Jell, It WOULD be nice to have another Monster on the Ranch, We haven't had one since Mom and Dad died three years ago." Percy said, going back to shoveling. Immediately he stopped, feeling something hard hit his shovel.  
"Hey, I think I found something! Help me dig it out!" Percy cried, getting down on his knees and started scraping the dirt, revealing a strange design. He wiped a few more stripes away from the design, revealing a round object in the ground. Lord Jell started jumping up and down as Percy scopped away dirt from around the edges to get a better grip.  
"YOU DID IT! YOU ACTUALLY DID IT! YOU FOUND A GODDAMN MYSTERY DISC!" Lord Jell cried in surprise and shock. Percy grasped the edges of the Disc and Pulled, Popping it out of the ground easily. He fell backwards from the surprise, then sat up, starting to cheer with Lord Jell. After a few minutes of dancing and cheering, Lord Jell calmed down enough to think straight.  
"So I assume this means we'll be going into town not only to get food, but to ALSO unlock this disc?" Lord Jell asked Coyly.  
"HELL YEAH! First we'll pick up groceries, then I'll unlock this baby! Oh Man, I hope it's a Suezo!"  
"Or maybe a Pink Jam...Oooo Finally a date for Saturday night.." Lord Jell chuckled evilly while Percy just groaned in disgust.  
"Well, Let's get ready to go!" Percy cried, running towards the House. Lord Jell laughed and slowly started to change. His Arm's Shrunk into his body while two Wheels Formed from out of his chest, all the while he was flattening and thinning out. Two More wheels formed in his lower section as he feel to the ground, completing his transformation by moving his red orb to the middle, completing his change to a Skateboard-like form. Percy came back out wearing a Backpack and a red hat, grinning Broadly.  
"Jump on and Let's Ride Percy!" Lord Jell cried, spinning around on his rear wheels. Percy laughed and jumped into the air, landing on Lord Jell's new form, which was surprisingly firm.  
"Ready to go?"  
"Anytime buddy." Percy answered, spreading his arms to balance himself as Lord Jell sped forward towards a dirt path, swerving to avoid bushes and Rocks. He slowly started to pick up speed as they sped down a slope, heading for a Small pass with Rounded sides.  
"LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!" Lord Jell cried, swerving onto the rounded sides of the Pass. Percy laughed, enjoying the adrenaline rush and the sheer thrill of the experience. As they neared the end, they flew out of the pass at an angle, spinning slightly and landing roughly, but they kept on going while laughing.  
"Now THAT........was Pretty damn cool!" Percy cried as they continued down the trail on the mountain.  
  
  
Soon enough, they were at a cliff midway down the mountain overlooking a town far, far, FAR below. Percy grinned, looking down at Lord Jell.  
"Up for some high flying?"  
"Let's see, as a Skateboard, it'll take me two or more hours to get down this cliff, while as a Flying Contraption, a good five minute flight." With that, Lord Jell jerked backwards with Percy, then sped forward, flying off the cliff and plummeting down towards the town. Percy screamed in sheer terror and thrill as Lord Jell started to change, his wheels flowing back into his body as he thinned out even more, stretching and enlarging himself into the shape of a surfboard. Two small tentacles Wrapped around Percy's Feet for safety while he formed fins on either side of him, slowing the fall.  
"WAAAAHOOOOOO! WIND SURFING!" Percy screamed as they swerved like they were riding the very air and wind itself. He Angled them towards the town and continued their plummet, screaming with joy. Percy spread his arms to balance himself more as his hair whipped upwards, his hat staying snugly where it was luckily. They continued to shake and swerve on their way down, enjoying every minute of the adrenaline rush.  
"THIS IS NUTS! I LOVE IT!" Percy laughed, his tail of hair flapping wildly. As they neared the village, he could see People staring up at him in shock and surprise. When they were about fifteen yards up in the air, Lord Jell quickly changed again, turning into a Parachute and Latching onto Percy's Backpack, snapping upward from the sudden updraft. They Gently landed, still laughing and tense form the Adrenaline rush. Lord Jell then SNapped back into his original form and high fived Percy.  
"What a rush!" He gasped, running a hand through his white hair. He looked at the Townspeople, who simply shook their heads and went back to business.  
"Crazy kid." He heard a few mumble, but ignored it.  
"Well my friend, that INDEED was a thrill ride! YOU RULE!" Percy complimented, slapping Lord Jell on the back.  
"And HOW! Now, let's grab some grub and then mosey on over to the Shrine." Lord Jell said, pointing to a Store marked,"GROCERY OUTLET."  
"Alright then!" Percy cried, walking with Lord Jell towards the store, ignoring the look he was getting from the people.   
  
  
Percy slowly opened the Shrine doors, looking in at it with a touch of awe. It was huge! It had a platform with for towering pillars overlooking it, strange orbs within the Pillars, a Console to unlock a monster was in front of it, while in the platform itself was a hole for the Discs. He walked in, pulling the Mystery disc from his backpack and looking at it, noticing something strange on the back.  
"Hey L.J?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Is It normal for Mystery Discs to have an Emblem on the back?" Percy asked, turning the Disc so Lord Jell could see. There was a Red and Black face emblem on the back, with a black round nose, and it seemed the face was crying.  
"Uh....NO. Maybe it's a Dead disc."  
"A What?" Lord Jell looked at Percy.  
"A Dead Disc. When a Monster dies in battle, it turns into a Mystery disc that can't be unlocked, hence the nickname DEAD DISC." Percy sighed and ran to the Platform, kneeling down.  
"One way to find out." He sighed, placing the disc in the hole. He ran back to the Console with Jell and started the unlocking Process. The Disc started to spin rapidly as a Pillar of multi-colored light enveloped it, making the disc float to the middle, where it kept spinnin and spinning. Lord Jell noticed the Orbs in the Pillars Glow, the glow seemed to intensify the spinning and slowly the Disc started to glow. Percy slammed his hand into a large button, pushing it in.  
"UNLOCK!" He cried, and covered his eye's instinctively as a Large Flash blinded Percy and Lord Jell for a few moments. When they looked back at the Disc, it was still a disc, but the face emblem was facing them. Percy looked at Lord Jell, who just shrugged, then back to the Disc. They Both gasped as the Face emblem started to move, stretching out of the disc and then back in.  
"WHAT THE HELL?" Percy screamed, aghast at this new development.  
"Ths just ain't NATURAL!" Lord Jell cried as the face stretched outwards even more, making the Disc crack, a blinding black light piercing through the cracks. Tey fell back as the Disc Shattered, something just suddenly Appearing. They both looked up, seeing a strange monster standing where the disc had been. It was a strange looking one for sure, it had a long black robe connected to large white shoulderpads, when it billowed backward, you could see that it had absolutely no body at all, no limbs even. It had two long Black arms in the cloak's arms, the only limbs apparent, it had black gloves with a white patch and it held an Ax as big as it was, with blades as big as Lord Jell. It's face was white with black eye's and mouth, and a large red nose that would've made it look comical if it didn't give off an aura of pure blackness. It floated a good inch off the ground, standing three feet bigger than Percy or Lord Jell. It looked at them, letting out a disembodied Laugh and hovering slowly towards them. It looked down at Lord Jell, then Percy, letting out another Laugh before grasping the Ax's incredibly long handle with both hands and raising it above it's head.  
"HUMANS! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! DIE!" Percy and Jell rolled away as the Ax came down, nearly hitting Percy. He Sprang to his feet and ducked as this Strange Monster kept slashign at him, missing by barely a hairs width. Lord Jell stood up, drawing it's arm back and letting it extend before snapping it like a whip onto this Monsters Back, drawing its attention away from Percy. He drew his arm back, ready to attack again as the Monster turned to him. Percy got to his feet and jumped onto the Console as the Monster Swung it's ax at Lord Jell, who dodged. He Launched himself at the Monster, grabbing it around the throat and covering it's eyes. It swung wildly, trying to get him off.  
"L.J! GET OUT OF HERE!" Percy Cried, his legs swinging Wildly.  
"NO! IT'LL KILL YOU! IT'S A JOKER! IT'S PURE EVIL!!!!"  
"GET OUT OF HERE! I'LL........I'LL BE FINE! TRUST ME!" Percy screeched, almost losing his grip.  
  
  
  
"Get out of here. I'll.........I'll be fine! Trust me!" The Joker heard this, almost not believing it. A Human? Worried more about his monster than his life? Impossible! Such a thing was unheard of! Humans only cared about themselves, nothing more, it was impossible for them to care about anything else! Let alone Monsters! The Child must've known that almost All Jokers were pure evil, they would kill without mercy, even The Child's MONSTER had told him, but still, this small insect clung to His shoulders, screaming for the lowly Jell to leave while he had him distracted. The Joker almost thought he felt something stir within it's blackened soul, but it ignored it, deciding on getting this human of him.  
  
  
Percy swung wildly, keeping his grip on the Joker. A Joker! What were the Chances of Actually Unlocking A Joker? Had to be like a million to one, but by his luck, he had unlocked one for all the good it was. He Felt the Joker stop and turn his back to the Wall, then Slam into it With Percy, who screeched in pain, but kept his grip.  
"L.J! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"  
"NOT A CHANCE! YOU'RE MY FRIEND! I'M NOT DESERTING YOU!" Lord Jell cried, jumping backwards and changing into a giant spinning Top. He slammed into the Joker in the chest, sending it back a little, then snapped back into his original form. The Joker slammed again into the Wall, smashing Percy against it even harder until he finally let go and fell to the ground, sore from the wall. He saw the Joker turn to him after swatting Lord Jell away, Ax raised and ready for the finaly blow. He looked upwards, his body refusing to move while his mind screamed, and thought he saw a small spark in the Joker's eyes as it hesitated a moment.   
"HEY! JOKER!" The Monster turned to Jell, then flew THROUGH the wall and out into the town. Percy looked to see Lord Jell shaped like a cannon, his barrel still smoking. He Popped back into his original form and landed next to Percy.  
"You okay?" He asked, very much concerned. Percy nodded meekly, slowly managing to get to his feet. He gasped when he Saw the Joker get back up, ax still raised. Lord Jell roared and flipped onto his hands, melding to become a base as a Dish formed from his Lower section, his red orb becoming a point in the middle.  
"BACK OFF!" He screamed, firing a blast of Energy from the Orb, sending the Joker flying and finally unconscious. Percy saw the Townspeople running into their homes and stores, screaming about how the Joker had arisen. He Looked down at the Fallen Monster, feeling a little sorry for it.  
"Think you can carry him back home?" Percy asked after a few minutes.  
"WHAT? PERCY! ARE YOU NUTS???" Lord Jell cried, grabbing him roughly by the shoulders.  
"CAN you carry him back?" Percy asked again.  
"PERCY! That thing nearly KILLED you! Why do you want him to come back to OUR place?"  
"Look, if he stays here, he's gonna get Destroyed by local superstition, you know that! And he might go on a murderous RAMPAGE! Better somewhere secluded like Our place than in town! And I have a sneaky Feeling he won't be in a fighting mood when he wakes up."  
"Your feelings can go to HELL! HE COULD'VE KILLED YOU!"  
"He won't wake up for a couple hours, you nailed him pretty good. Now, CAN you carry him or Not?" Percy said, putting his hands on his hips. Lord Jell looked at the Joker, still unconscious.  
"Yeah, I can fly him up the Mountain. But...."  
"NO BUTS. Let's just get back home with him before anyone does anything."  
  
  



	2. Default Chapter Title

A Jokers Hand  
  
  
The Joker slowly opened his eye's, his vision blurred and his hearing muffled.  
"....Think he's coming around...." He heard faintly, feeling something wet on his forehead. He slowly tried to get up, still aching from that Jell's attack. He saw a Face blurred in front of him as two Hands pushed him back down.  
"Take it easy, Jell Nailed you pretty good." He recognized the voice, the same of the child who he had attacked. The Joker blinked a few times, his vision slowly returning as the face started to sharpen.  
"Wh...where am I?" He moaned, rubbing his head.  
"This is the stable at my Ranch, we took you back here to heal." The Child explained.  
"Even.....even AFTER I attacked you?"  
"Yeah." The Joker let this sink in, this was an unusual occurence. He deftly considered attacking the Child once agains as his anger rose, but instead ignored it for reasons even HE didn't know.  
"Listen, I'm Vanciusth Persius, Most People call me Vance or Percy and this..." The Joker turned his head, seeing the Same Jell who had defended the Human folding his arms across it's chest.  
"This is Lord Jell, L.J for short if you want." The Jell simply nodded and watched the Joker intently.  
"Why am I here? What do you want human?"  
"For One thing, don't call me human. Why are you here? Since I unlocked you're disc, I should be the one to take care of the damage L.J Inflicted." The Joker was a bit shocked at this answer, thinking the Human was lying. Percy picked up a plate of food and offered it to the Joker.  
"Ah, I had L.J make you some food, if you're hungry." The Joker looked at it, then SLapped it onto the ground. Percy sighed, still a bit sore from their earlier battle.  
"Alright, what's your name?"  
"I have no name." The Joker answered angrily, sitting up.  
"Alright, then I guess I should find something to call you, something that fits you..." Percy scratched his chin, thinking.  
"By what right do you think you can give me a Name??" The Joker cried, getting up and looking for his axe.  
"Well, What do you want me to call you? The Joker? A Ridiculous name, you need to be taken seriously...I Got it!" Percy snapped his fingers in excitement.  
"I'll call you.....Armageddon!" The Joker looked at Percy in shock.  
"The End of the World?"  
"No, just a name, What do you think?" Armageddon turned his back towards Percy, refusing to acknowledge him or Lord Jell.  
"I Think he likes it." Lord Jell whispered, snickering.  
  
  
  
  
For the next few weeks, Armageddon was totally uncooperative. It Refused to eat, refused to even acknowledge Percy and Lord Jell, it even tried to run away, but Percy had caught it. By the Fifth week, Percy was getting sick of this as Armageddon sliced and smashed his meal.  
"WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE???"  
"Because, I'm just trying to take care of you!"  
"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Percy jumped backwards as Armageddon tried to slice him in half.  
"ALRIGHT! ARMAGEDDON! You want to fight? Let's fight outside! I'm SICK of this! You're fighting me at EVERY damn turn! I'M JUST trying to help you, and you're shoving me away! ENOUGH OF IT! OUTSIDE! NOW!" Percy screamed, grabbing his ax handle and pulling him outside. He walked backwards away from Armageddon, then turned to face him.  
"ALRIGHT! First person to fall wins. If I win, YOU stay for another week and do whatever I say and if you don't want to stay by the end of the Seventh day, you can go wherever the Hell you want! If YOU win, you can do anything you want! Run away, attack me, I don't care! I'm SICK OF YOUR DAMN STUBBORNESS!" Percy roared. Armageddon stood back, a bit shocked at this little child, yelling at an obviously superior being. He gripped his ax and Swung, missing Percy by an inch. Percy ducked and jumped, dodging every attack and looking for any opening that might let him win this.  
"You're fast for a human!" Armageddon cried, slashing at Percy again.  
"I've trained." Percy answered simply, jumping backwards. Armageddon Roared and raised his axe above his head, slicing Downwards and imbedding the Ax halfway in the ground as Percy moved to the side.   
"There's my opening!" Percy cried, jumping onto Armageddons back and knocking him to the ground. He roared in defeat as Percy got off of him and offered a hand to help Armageddon up. He just slapped it away and hovered back up.  
"You win human! SEVEN day's! That's ALL you get!" Armageddong cried in disgust. Lord Jell slid up next to Percy, staring in disbelief.  
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING PERCY??? THAT.....THING COULD'VE KILLED YOU!" He Screamed. Percy just shook his head.  
"No. He wouldn't." Percy said mysteriously. He Folded his arms across his chest and looked at Lord Jell and Armageddon.  
"First off, Armageddon, I want you to go flying with Lord Jell." The Jell turned to Percy and screamed.  
"WHAT? NO DAMN WAY! THAT THING WILL EMBED THAT AX INTO MY BACK!" Percy sighed and took Lord Jell aside, whispering something in plain view of Armageddon. Lord Jell argued for a few moments, then Lord Jell threw his arms up in defeat.   
"Fine! I expect a reward for this!" He cried, moving in front of Armageddon.  
"Alright! You CAN fly right?" Lord Jell asked, looking Armageddon up and down.  
"Yes You lowly Jell, I CAN fly!"  
"LOWLY MY BLUE BUTT! I OUGHTA KICK YOUR A...."  
"JELL!" Percy roared, a dangerous look in his eye's.  
"Fine fine, follow me." Lord Jell grumbled, motioning for Armageddon to follow.  
  
  
  
"THIS is Flying Ridge!" Lord Jell said. They Were overlooking a cliff edge that didn't look that special.  
"And?" Armageddon asked, shrugging.  
"AND.....Me and Percy come here every Saturday and go flying through the Tunnel's."  
"Tunnel's?" Lord Jell tapped the ground lightly.  
"This entire mountain is full of underground tunnels that are filled with stalac...stalg...stalag.....AH Damn it! The Pointy rock things On the Ceiling and Floors!" Lord Jell cried in frustration.  
"Stalactites and Stalagmites Vermin." Armageddon hissed.  
"WHATEVER. VERMIN? WHY I OUGHTA.....Rrrgh.....Just...Just follow me." Lord Jell said, starting to shrink. His arms widened and bent outward, forming wings. A Tail shot out of his lower sectiong while his head lengthened and thinned, forming a beak. When he was done, he was a Blue jell-like bird with his Red orb in his chest.  
"Alright Apocalypse! Follow me!" Lord Jell cried, flapping his wings and flying off the cliff.  
"It's ARMAGEDDON!" He cried, flying after Lord Jell. He stopped short from the Flapping Jell, who was looking at a hole in the side of the Mountain.  
"Alright, follow me Ragnarok." He cried, shooting into the hole. Armageddon growled and flew after him.  
"ARMAGEDDON! IT'S ARMAGEDDON DAMN IT!" He roared. He stopped when he saw it was pitch dark in the tunnel, so he held one hand in front of him, letting it glow birghtly to illuminate the cavern. He Saw at least Hundred of Stalactites and Stalagmites throughout the Cavern, sticking out like spikes. He Saw Lord Jell sitting on one, grinning while his red orb shifted to his eye's.  
"Don't have the ability of Night Vision do yah? Follow me!" Lord Jell teased, flapping wildly to hover.  
"What are we doing here?" Armageddon asked before Lord Jell started flying.  
"We are going to do something you probably have absolutely no damn experience with, We're going to have Fun." Lord Jell Laughed, shooting through the Tunnel. Armageddon sighed and followed quickly, trying to Keep Lord Jell in sight.  
"SLOW DOWN JELLO!"  
"CATCH ME IF YA CAN ACE!" Lord Jell laughed, going even faster while swerving left and right to dodge the spike rocks. Armageddon growled and dodged a rock.  
"Fine, you want to play the speed game? I CAN PLAY!" Armageddon muttered, quivering as his entire form started to glow. He tensed and shot through the tunnel, dodging rocks just barely as he swerved left and right, managing to keep Lord Jell in sight. He could feel something stir inside it's shriveled, dark soul, something that felt strangely........Humorous. HeGasped as Lord Jell snapped Upward, revealing a Rock wall straight in front of Armageddon, who managed to swerve upward just in time. He almost felt like laughing for.....for......for....joy? No, Joker's don't feel joy, they just feel hate and anger...or did they? The Joker Moved left and right, dodging the rocks sticking out from the sides of the tunnel traveling upwards, feeling the stirring growing stronger. This was dangerous, this could easily kill the Jell and possibly Armageddon himself, but he wasn't worried....rather....He was enjoying this, enjoying the feeling of sheer terror mixed with thrill.   
He shot out of the tunel, temporarily blinded by the sudden light. He heard a sound, like a disembodied laugh, then realized that it was him, he was laughing for joy. He stopped abruptly and looked for Lord Jell, seeing him in his original form looking at Armageddon Strangely.   
"So.....So Where are we now?" Armageddon asked quickly, looking around. They were in what looked like a Rocy valley, full of sloped rocks, rounded walls, and angled Rocks.  
"THIS is Slope Valley, We go rolling around here also Every Saturday."  
"Rolling?" Lord Jell sighed and changed into his skateboard.  
"THIS is Rolling." Lord Jell zoomed towards a sloped rock, flying off of it and landing on an angled rock, skidding to a stop then shooting around a Rounded out wall, going up and down it.  
"Alright, so it's technically called Skateboarding, but it's fun." Lord Jell Said, shifting back to his original form.  
"Ah.......Yes....I....see. Shouldn't we be heading back now?" Lord Jell grinned as his Lower half changed into two wheels.  
"Nope." He said simply, facing his back towards Armageddon and Revving up, sending dirt and dust all over Armageddon, who sputtered and waved his arms franticly. Lord Jell shot forward, flying off a sloped Rock and towards a Rounded out pass.  
"COME BACK HERE YOU PILE OF MUD!" Armageddon roared, flying after him. He watched Lord Jell ride along the Wall, laughing insanely while increasing his speed.  
"NOT A CHANCE SLOWPOKE!" He called back, sliding wall to wall. He Finally shot out of the Pass, spinning insanely in the air before landing roughly on his wheels, making him swerve for a bit before regaining his balance. Armageddon shook his fists at Lord Jell, roaring angrily. Lord Jell swerved left and Right, dodging giant rocks and boulders while Armageddon did the same, trying to catch up with the Jell. Lord Jell looked back at him and stuck out a blue tongue, giving him a razzberry.   
"NYAH NYAH! CAN'T CATCH ME!" He cried, jumping over a boulder. Armageddon raised his ax and Smashed through the Boulder, grinning at the satisifaction. He nearly collided into Lord Jell when he screeched to a stop.  
"Why'd you stop? I was actually starting to have fun!" Armageddon muttered, then quickly shut up when he realized what he said. Lord Jell looked at him strangely, almost puzzled.  
"I Thought Jokers didn't HAVE fun." Armageddon just fidgeted uncomfortably, looking past Lord Jell. They were at a steep cliff that overlooked the Ranch, and Percy was leaning back in a chair, waving at them.  
"Hey! Have a good time?" He yelled. Lord Jell Gave him a Thumbs up.  
"Looks like Apocalypse here is Actually having Fun!" Lord Jell answered, laughing. Armageddon frowned at Lord Jell, then looked down the Cliff.  
"Tell me Lord Jell, would a fall from a cliff hurt you much?"  
"Nah, Jell Body's DESIGNED to take impact like that why?" Armageddon gave him a light push, sending him careening over the cliff while Armageddon looked down at the Screaming Jell.  
"IT'S ARMAGEDDON! NOT APOCALYPSE!" He called back, then winced as he heard Lord Jell hit the ground. Armageddon calmly floated down, landing next to Lord Jell, who was just a pile of goo on the ground as he started to slowly reform himself.  
"YOU NO GOOD LOUSY GLORIFIED PLAYING CARD!!!! I'LL KICK YOUR DAMN ETHEREAL BUTT AND SMEAR IT ACROSS THE CLIFF YOU PIECE OF BAKU CRAP!" Lord Jell screamed. Armageddon simply let out a Disembodied Laugh, then quickly stopped when he saw Percy staring at him strangely, he also noted he was wearing Silver visor Sunglasses.  
"You Laugh?" Armageddon refused to answer, instead just floated back to his stable. Percy strolled over to Lord Jell, who now had one Arm and Part of his head reformed.  
"I think you're starting to provoke something in that one L.J."  
"YEAH! I'LL PROVOKE HIS BRAIN INTO MELTING TO MUSH AND THEN SMEAR THE DAMN MESS ALL OVER THE MOUNTAIN!" Lord Jell screamed. Percy nodded and patted his back.  
"THAT'S the Spirit!" He smiled, then started to help Lord Jell up.  
  
  
  
The Next Two Day's Percy showed Armageddon around and Played a few games such as Shess. On Tuesday, he decided to go for something a bit more personal.  
"What is this?" Armageddon asked, looking at the Monster Sized Canvas. Percy stood next to him, a normal sized Canvas in front of him. He had a table set up with rows and rows of different colored paint, he was wearing old clothes stained with paint and had two Brushes in the pockets. He Reached for the table and grasped a cup of something brown.  
"This is what I do every Tuesday, I paint while L.J gardens."  
"Your Jell Gardens??"  
"Don't ask, he's fascinated with Photosynthesis. I think Sometimes he Wishes he was a ChloroJell."  
"Ah Yes, Plant slash Jell correct?" Percy nodded and sipped some of his strange liquid. Armageddon looked at the cup questioningly.  
"What drink is that?" Percy grinned and handed him the cup. Armageddon Took it quickly, looking at it, even sticking a finger in it.  
"L.J and I found some wild beans in a certain grove on this Mountain, we ground them up and mixed it with Sugar, then Mixed it with milk. It Tastes Sweet, kind of like The Chocolate candy, but not quite." Armageddon set his ax Down and held the cup with both hands, a questioningly look on his face.  
"Well, Go ahead. Try it. We've got plenty of those beans in storage." Percy encouraged. Armageddon hesitantly raised it to what passed for lips for him and took a quick sip hesitantly. He pondered the taste for a moment, enjoying the creaminess and sweet flavor.  
"Well? How Is it?" Percy asked, grinning.  
"Well, It.....It tastes....good." Armageddon said defensively, setting the cup down.  
"Glad you like it." Armageddon looked around at the Place Percy chose as his...Painting Grounds. It was behind the Stable, overlooking a large grotto full of tree's and flowers, a Peak rising out of the grotto like a spear.  
"This...Why'd you choose this place as your ranch?" Armageddon asked after a few moments. Percy got a sad look in his eye, stuffing his hands in his pocket.  
"Well.....My.....My parents used to Live here, and........they....They died a few years ago....so.....so..." Percy broke off, a single tear falling to the ground. Armageddon felt yet another unfamiliar sensation in his dark soul, something like guilt or remorse.  
"Anyway....I...I promised I'd take care of the Ranch." Percy said, grinning shakily as he wiped his eyes. Armageddon nodded in understanding.  
"So what are you painting today?" Armageddon asked. Percy shrugged.  
"I Close my Eye's, and let my hands take over to start with. Then When I get the right idea, I open my eye's and let my mind help." Percy said, taking a brush and dipping it in some black paint. He hesitated, then handed the Brush to Armageddon.  
"You try it." Armageddon hesitantly took the brush, looking at his own canvas.  
"This is a waste of time you know." Percy laughed and just shrugged.  
"Wasting time goes with having fun. This is something I do for fun. Just try it, it's not like we have anything else to do." Percy encouraged. Armageddon thought a moment, There WAS nothing better to do. He hesitantly painted a small black line, then immediately closed his eye's and let his mind take over. Percy watched in surprise as Armageddon painted furiously and with grace, pausing only to put a new color on the brush or wash it. Percy watched slowly as something started to appear on the canvas as Armageddon continued. He Watched as he painted something with the Lower body of a Horse, a head of a Bird with three swept back fins, and an upper body of a man. Armageddon finished quickly after painting the Lower body Brown, the Upper body yellow and green and Placing what looked like a spear in the Paintings hand. Percy instantly recognized what he had painted, a Centaur, Monsters that only traveled in the Mandy Desert. Armageddon moved backwards, finally opening his eye's and looking at his work. His Eye's widened in shcok as his face started to quiver in supressed anger as his hands clenched and unclenched. He roared once and grasped the Painting with Both hands, flinging it into the Stable wall and breaking it's wooden back before picking it's ax up and Raising it, slicing the Painting into pieces. Percy stood back, puzzled by Armageddons actions. He Slashed the Painting one more time before rushing back into the Stable. Percy kneeled down at the destroyed painting, trying to figure out what had caused such a reaction.   
"Something in the past." He muttered, looking at the painting.  
  
  
  
  
Armageddon refused to eat or even come out of the Stable for the Next two days, just throwing the food or anyone that came near out.  
Percy sighed as he walked back to his room, tired of trying to deal with Armageddon. He just wanted to slip into sweet unconsciousness. He Ignored Lord Jell's coments and just went into his room, flopping down on the bed and slipping into slumberland after a few moments and instantly started to dream.   
He was dreaming, he knew that, but this was the strangest dream. He was sitting at a rounded table, holding seven Playing cards and playing against a Joker monster Similar to Armageddon. He Looked at his cards and Saw Lord Jell, his Mom and Dad, Himself, A Painting brush, His Home, and Armageddon himself. He Looked at the Joker, who simply grinned as Percy felt words come out of his mouth.  
"So what is in a Joker's Hand?" He heard himself asking. The Joker looked at Percy, his White mask standing out against the Black background as he vanished, the cards it was holding slipping over his own. He Looked down, seeing a Centaur, Armageddon, Two Humans on one card, The Mystery Disc where they had released him, A Card with Other Jokers surrounding Armageddon, And the Sixth card had a picture of him. He looked at the Seventh and was instantly puzzled. It was sectioned into three Sections, the Middle was a Picture of Armageddon, the Left side was a picture of Percy and Lord Jell, and the Other Side was a Helmeted figure with Horns bending outwards then inwards, the figure had two Jokers on either side of it, it's dull gold armor clashing badly. The Card itself seemed to vibrate with energy. He felt everything vanish and instantly was in town, the entire place either on fire or being destroyed by Monsters with a Strange round emblem, familiar monsters. He Turned, seeing The Armored creature standing over Lord Jell and Himself, hand Raised as Armageddon appeared next to him, laughing as the Armored creature Blasted Percy and Lord Jell to atoms. Percy tried to scream, but nothing came out as this Armored Creature turned to him, raising his glowing hand. Percy woke up screaming, Lord Jell restraining him by wrapping his arms around him.  
"AHHHHH!"  
"Calm down! Percy! It Was Just A Dream!" Lord Jell cried, letting go. Percy sat up, panting and looking around. That was no dream, it was...  
"I Just had another Flash L.J." He said quietly. Lord Jell looked at him.  
"So? Maybe the location of another Mystery Disc?"  
"No..It had to do with our friend outside." He said, then told him about his dream, leaving out the Part with the Armored Creature.   
"A Centaur, Two Humans, A Three-way split card, A bunch of Jokers surrounding Armageddon, You, and Armageddon. What the hell does that mean?" Lord Jell asked. Percy shook his head and looked out his window at the stable.  
"I Don't know, but I know someone who can tell us. Stay Here." Percy ordered, getting out of bed. Lord Jell instantly made the connection.  
"NO! You go out there, he'll cut your damn head off!"  
"I Don't think So L.J. Before Tuesday, we were really REACHING him. I think he was close to telling us why he was in the Mystery Disc."  
"BULL! He's closed off! He's not going to do anything but slice you into BITS!"  
"I HAVE to Try!"  
"HE'S A JOKER! HE'S PURE EVIL!"  
"Not Possible! Everything has some spark of goodness!"  
"OH Shut the HELL UP ABOUT YOUR DAMN BELIEFS AND THINK RATIONALLY for a moment! He's volatile right now! You go in that Stable you're coming out as a stain on his AX!"  
"I Don't believe he'll do that!"  
"PERCY!"  
"Don't try to stop me L.J! This has to STOP!" Percy cried, pushing past Lord Jell and towards the Kitchen. He Grabbed his boots and slipped them on, heading outside towards the Stable. He Slowly put his ear to the Door, hearing something. He cracked the door open and looked inside, seeing Armageddon swinging his Ax around, striking down invisible opponents. He Opened the door fully and stepped inside, Armageddon Completely oblivious to his presence as his ax arced through the air. He slowly stepped closer, then ducked as Armageddon swung the ax near his head. Armageddon looked down at him, a look of sheer outrage in his face.  
"GET OUT!" He Roared, brandishing his Axe around menacingly. Percy straightened up, determined to end this.  
"No."  
"I SAID GET OUT!" Armageddon cried, raising his axe. Percy shook his head, stepping closer.  
"This has to END. WHY were you in the Mystery Disc? Why did your Painting of a Centaur Upset you? WHY?" Percy yelled.  
"I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU!! NOW GET OUT!" Armageddon threatened, swinging his axe towards Percy's head, stopping an inch when Percy didn't even move. He Swung again, stopping a hair away from his face.  
"I want to know the Truth! So Far I've gotten BITS and PIECES of the Puzzle, YOU can give me the ENTIRE THING! What does a Group of Jokers, a Centaur, and YOU have in common??" Armageddon jerked backward as if he'd been slapped.  
"What...How do you know about the Jokers????" Percy tapped his head.  
"How do you think I found your Disc in the First place? I get Psychic Flashes you could say, I see where things are or things that will happen sometimes. Most of the time they're hoaxes but I get lucky. Now tell me EVERYTHING." Percy screeched. Armageddon hissed at him.  
"BY WHAT RIGHT DO YOU ORDER ME AROUND??? I'LL....I'LL....I'LL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!" Armageddon raised his axe.  
"No you won't, you would've done it already! Let's drop the goddamn Charade and Get right down to it." Percy pointed out. Armageddon Hissed one more time before slumping to the ground in defeat. He sat down on a stool and rested his head in his hands as Percy pulled up another Stool.  
"Alright.....Alright. Just....Leave me alone after I tell you..."Armageddon asked wearily. Percy nodded in agreement.  
  
  
  
"I'm a Joker, you know that. But I'm not like most Jokers, I admired Centaurs. Centaurs, who were noble, just, and true, a Joker is the complete anti-thesis with it's evil, treacherous, and backstabbing Personality. I Used to wish I had been born a Centaur, because deep down, I hate being evil. One day A Group of my Fellow Jokers and I were ransacking a village when I encountered a Centaur, a True Centaur! Not A Cross-breed like those Chariots or Reapers, but a TRUE blood Centaur defending it's trainer from two Hell-Hearts, so I took the Initiative and Killed those Two Hell-hearts. But When I turned around, the Centaur slammed the blunt end of it's staff into my head, knocking me down. Then the Humans, the Humans, I did it to Protect the humans and they started attacking me viciously, a Man and a Woman, Knocking me Unconscious. When I awoke, I was surrounded by my fellow Jokers on a Mountain like this one. They Accused me of Killing those Two Hell-Hearts, and they entrapped me in a Mystery Disc and sent me off here I guess, all Because I wanted to save the Humans and Meet the Centaur." Armageddon recounted his tale. Percy listened intently, his heart scolding him for being so mean to Armageddon.  
"I was aware...Aware of EVERY Damn moment stuck in that Mystery disc! For over Two hundred years! I was reduced to a thought, it was like a maddening itch that you can't scratch because you aren't THERE. I stirred in my own thoughts for all those Hundreds of years....."  
"And You blame the Centaur and the Two Humans. I don't blame you." Percy interrupted, then decided to ask a Question.  
"Why did you wish you weren't a Joker?"  
"Because I said I hate being Evil! I'd rather be Noble, true, and Just, but I'm a Joker, and That's impossible. Many Times I considered running away from the group of Jokers, but they were the only family I had. I....I kind of wish they were still here." Armageddon said sadly. Percy Scooted closer to the Saddened Joker and Patted his back.  
"Well, if you decide to stay, you have a new family. And Who says you have to be Evil and Treacherous?" Armageddon Looked at Percy and scoffed.  
"I'm a Joker at heart, we're all evil."  
"If that were true, you wouldn't have told me your Hand and...."  
"Told me my Hand?" Percy chuckled a little.  
"Hand, like at Poker, what cards you have."  
"I.....I've never heard of this Poker." Percy shrugged.  
"It's new. I Bought a Pack or two of Playing cards in town, as I was saying. If you were really evil, you wouldn't have told me your story, you wouldn't have enjoyed the flight through the Tunnels or the Obstacle course at Slope Valley. Very few beings are truly evil at heart Armageddon, and I doubt YOU are." Armageddon heard these words, and he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders lightly, he was still confused inside, but at least he knew he had someone to fall back on. Percy sat a moment, quiet as a mouse, then snapped his fingers.  
"I know! L.J and I know how to Play Poker, we can teach you! Just give me a few minutes to get everything."  
  
  
  
  
  
Percy, Lord Jell, and Armageddon sat in the stable around a large table. Lord Jell had a Visor like hat on while Percy had his Silver Visor Sunglasses. Lord Jell shuffled the stack of cards quickly, making sure to mix them up thoroughly, then handed it to Armageddon.  
"Cut the Deck Ragnarok." Armageddon grasped his ax and swung it once, cutting the deck in half. Lord Jell let out a yelp while Percy just groaned.  
"NO! BAD JOKER! VERY BAD JOKER!" Lord Jell scolded, grabbing the Unopened deck.  
"What the hell Jell? You said to cut the deck, I cut the damn deck!"   
"When he says cut the deck, he means........oh nevermind just watch me." Percy muttered, grabbing the deck and shuffling it.  
"THIS is cutting the deck." Percy separated the Deck into two smaller ones, then put one on top of the other.   
"Oh, my mistake." Armageddon said sheepishly. He handed the Cards Back to Jell, who dealt them Seven cards each.  
"7 Card stud, tens and Kings are wild." Far into the night they taught Armageddon how to play, and about an hour away from dawn they retired.  
"I was beating you guy's!" Armageddon laughed, handing his cards back. Lord Jell yawned loudly.  
"We remember that vividly Armageddon." He mumbled.  
"Let's all just get some sleep. You can beat us again tonight." Percy yawned, waving as he left the barn. Armageddon let out another laugh before yawning, deciding to get some sleep himself.  
  
  
  
Percy snapped awake, looking around. How long had he slept? He looked out the window and saw Lord Jell and Armageddon arguing in the daytime sun. He staggered out of bed and managed to slip his blue robe on before heading outside to see what they were arguing about.  
"...Afraid that I can outmanuever you Jello-for-brains?"   
"In your damn dreams! I was flying those tunnels before you were dug up!"  
"Yeah? I was flying and dodging rocks before you were even a MYSTERY disc!"  
"OH YEAH? LET'S GO! YOU AND ME! RIGHT NOW YOU OVERGROWN PLAYING CARD!" Lord Jell shifted into a Bird and flapped madly, still screaming at Armageddon, who raised his axe and swung futiley, Lord Jell Dodging and swerving. Percy moaned and went back inside, flipping open a big trunk and pulling out a Crossbow and an arrow. He was not in the mood to deal with this crap. He loaded the arrow and made sure that it was in place, then walked back outside. He aimed carefully and pulled the trigger. The arrow flew threw the air and hit Armageddon's ax, making both Monsters stop. They Looked towards Percy, shocked looks plastered on their faces.  
"I'm not n' th' mood to deal with this crap this mornin'. I jus' woke up, I'm hungry, and more th'n a LITTLE grumpy." He cried, heading back inside. Lord Jell and Armageddon looked back at each other and continued fighting. When Percy came back out an hour later, he saw the Two Monsters unconscious, obviously having knocked each other out so he walked calmly behind his house, dipping a wooden pail into a barrel full of water. He walked over to the Fallen monsters and lifted the pail over there heads, splashing the horribly freezing water all over them. They thrashed wildly as they snapped awake, flailing their limbs and sputtering out water, glaring angrily at Percy, who grinned cockily.  
"Now, if you two are done pounding each other, I figured we could fly the Tunnels together. What say you two?" Percy asked, folding his arms across his chest. Lord Jell nodded vigourisly and started to change shape while Armageddon just nodded once and leaned on his ax, waiting for Lord Jell to finish his transformation. Basically he just enlarged his bird form so Percy could ride atop him, which Percy did, wrapping his arms around Lord Jell's neck.  
"A Jell that transforms into different things....Not unheard of....but not really in this manner." Armageddon noted, looking over Lord Jell.   



End file.
